I kept hearing that AI data centers are draining towns dry, so I investigated the evidence. Here's what I found about water use, electricity demand and the real environmental impact of AI.

Data centres don't just use large amounts of water and electricity, they're heating the environment too, study finds.

As GPU power demands almost double with every generation, most water usage will come where the power is generated.

Not every discussion about data centers is grounded in fact, and many people have limited visibility into how these facilities operate or what AI workloads require.

Critics are inflating the costs.

Even moderately sized data centers can have an outsized local impact.

I kept hearing that AI data centers are draining towns dry, so I investigated the evidence. Here's what I found about water use, electricity demand and the real environmental…